The Darkest Winter
by Terrorbyt3
Summary: Elsa and Anna have grown up together, each with their own power, and sharing in the bond that secrets create. When their powers get discovered, they go on a journey of discovery, but it's one that leads them down a dark path of power and corruption. A path that ends in tragedy. M for themes, graphic violence and language. !DarkElsanna. Character deaths planned.


_This story is one that takes a dark turn and, seeing how I've planned the story arch out already, ends that way too. You have been warned._

_Let me know what you think about the story and my writing in the reviews._

I've rewritten this chapter, and completed a fair bit of Chapter 2. Sorry this took so long, lots of stuff popped up for me to do. Hope you all enjoy the extra content I added here.

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Eight-year-old Elsa was sitting awake in her bed, shoulders shaking as she sobbed. The same nightmare had plagued her for a full week now. The first night, she had woken screaming, and her parents had rushed in and calmed her, even through the swirling storm that her room contained. In her nightmare, she was playing with Anna outside, but then they fought over one of their toys. In her anger Anna would shove Elsa and without thought, and without fail, Elsa's ice would stream from her fingers. The frost would start at Anna's feet and travel up her legs, slowly making Anna unable to move. Anna would scream as she struggled against the ice. She would reach out to Elsa and say she was sorry, begging for freedom, but it was too late. Elsa knew how to make ice, but she didn't yet know how to take it away.

Realising what she had done, Elsa would run forward to Anna, and desperately try to free her from the ice, but it would keep making its way up Anna's body. The temperature would drop and snow would fall as Elsa became terrified for Anna's life. The two girls would embrace, but as the ice got to Anna's neck her arms would freeze, trapping Elsa in her embrace. Anna would close her eyes and the ice would pass over her face, her translucent blue eyes staring into Elsa's, at which point Elsa would awaken sweating and shaking.

Unbeknownst to Elsa, who would sit on her bed awake for the rest of the night, Anna was in just as much pain. Anna had been able to see in her own dreams exactly what Elsa had been feeling; exactly what she had dreamed of in each of these nightmares. But what Anna found the most painful was that she knew she was the cause of the nightmare; not just because Elsa didn't want to hurt her, but because she had been in everyone's dreams for the past month. The stress of it had drained her, and she seemed a lot less energetic than any six-year-old should have been.

Eventually Elsa's nightmares passed, but Anna was still trapped in other's dreams. She found she was able to influence people in ways she didn't really understand. She found that when she was in their sleeping minds there was a connection between them, one that she was now able to control. What she didn't notice until later, was the black flickering of her eyes when she used this power, or how the room grew darker and the shadows writhed on the walls.

She knew of Elsa's power through the connection she would create, and so when she was nearing her seventh birthday she told her parents that she knew the truth. She didn't tell them of her own power though. After what they had done to Elsa, locking her away and keeping her isolated from everyone not in the family, she wanted no part of that kind of treatment. Her power was much different to Elsa's, she would reason, she would be safe around others wouldn't she? She told Elsa eventually, and the sister's grew closer, never leaving the other's side. Anna helped Elsa control her powers, and this was enough to allow the gates open again. They had everything under control, right up until their parents died. The girls had to struggle to not be discovered, fighting the natural instincts of their powers for months before feeling secure enough to resume contact with the outside world. And as time passed without incident, Anna became more and more confident they would make it through with their secret.

She couldn't know, but some day soon she would be proven horribly wrong.

*** 10 years later ***

"Anna! Come on, you have to get up; you'll miss out on breakfast!" Elsa had to shout through to door before her sister would respond. She heard some faint mumbling, most likely containing some not-very-nice words directed at her. "Better hurry up, or all the hot chocolate will be gone."

Immediately she heard the thump of Anna scrambling out of bed. With a satisfied smile, she made her way down the stairs to the dining hall. Anna would never miss out on hot chocolate; especially at breakfast. Elsa took her seat at the head of the table where her breakfast was waiting for her. Moments later Anna came stumbling down the stairs, hair still in a complete mess and eyes still foggy with the remnants of sleep. Without a word she sat in the seat to Elsa's left and began to slowly pick at her food. Elsa noticed the way she was staring absent-minded at the table, eyes dark and her brow ever so slightly furrowed. She sighed, Anna had had this look many times before.

"Another nightmare?" Elsa said quietly. Anna simply nodded: that one simple bob of the head revealing the depth of her distress. Elsa worried each time Anna had a nightmare. They were less common now, but they always greatly disturbed her little sister. "Do you want to talk about it? You know I'm always here for you."

Anna shook her head, and Elsa was slightly surprised. Anna would normally have no issue confiding in her, and it always made her feel better. So now, when she denied Elsa the access to her feelings that she normally had, Elsa knew that something must have gravely disturbed her. This just made Elsa worry even further.

"Anna come on, talk to me. You know it helps." No reply came forth. "Please? For me? You know I worry about you."

Anna sighed and opened her mouth as if to say something, but after the slightest hesitation she closed herself off again. This really wasn't normal. Even though she felt unsure, Elsa decided not to press the issue. Anna would talk to her when she was ready to, and that would be that.

The morning passed without an issue; Elsa proceeded with the finalising of the plans for her coronation and Anna brightened up eventually. Before Elsa knew it, the day was nearly over. She was in the ballroom discussing with Marcus, who was in charge of decorations, the specifics and ideas that he believed suited the occasion.

"So your Highness, you're okay with the more scarcely decorated theme? I do truly believe that it's important not be too extravagant with the colours and other such accessories when organising a ball of this size. They often distract too much from the main entertainment."

Elsa was tired; it was late in the day and her head was muddled with colours and floor plans and menus. All she wanted was to retreat to her room and just forget all the stress of the day.

"I'm sure it will be fine, Marcus. I have complete faith in whatever it is that you decide. Go ahead and organise whatever it is you need; just don't go over budget hey? I don't want to want to get into debt before my coronation." Elsa forced out a smile.

Marcus took it as a joke; just as she meant him to. "Don't worry Your Highness, I'll be sure to take it easy on the royal coffers." He continued to chuckle to himself quietly, as he bowed and exited the unfurnished ballroom. Properly alone for the first time that day, Elsa let her posture droop with fatigue and the mask of patience slip, a scowl of frustration taking its place. It had been a very long day.

She walked tiredly from the ballroom up to her study, sat at her desk and dropped her head in her hands. It was nice having authority, but when people were pestering her constantly about what she wanted and what they needed, it wore her down.

Anna had it so much easier than she did. Because she was still only sixteen, her only real responsibility was to turn up to things and stay out of trouble. She had so much more freedom than Elsa, it was sometimes a cause for friction between the two girls. Of course they were never really that mad at each other for very long; especially when they were the only people in the world that they could open up to. It had worked in the girls' favour that they were so compatible as friends. Because they were so closely bonded through their powers, if either of them had not liked the other's personality then they both would have fallen apart under the stress long ago. Elsa didn't know how she would handle the extreme burden of being queen if she didn't have Anna.

Elsa stayed sitting at her desk for a while longer, during which Anna was up in the highest tower of the castle, sitting on the window sill and looking out at the gorgeous rose and gold sunset over the fjord. Ironically, while Elsa entertained darker predictions of the future, Anna (even with the shadow of her power) was entertaining much brighter thinking.

She had total faith in Elsa's ability to lead Arendelle to peace and prosperity. She was confident in her own ability to be there for her sister, and for her people. She could barely wait to see the crown upon Elsa's head, and to finally know that their fates were within their own hands. Elsa would surely give Anna responsibilities to manage, and instead of dreading the work and pressure, she looked forward to being tested and giving her best for Elsa.

She did worry a bit about keeping the secret of their powers, especially if there was (God forbid) a war or some other catastrophe, but she didn't want to worry about any eventualities that were that far-fetched. Arendelle had great relations with all its trade partners and neighbours; that kind of thinking was simply ridiculous. So she smiled at the sun as it finally dropped below the horizon. Things would be fine, just as the sun would rise tomorrow.

*** Elsa's Coronation Ball ***

Anna stood at the top of the stairs next to Elsa as the room applauded their new Queen. The dinner had ended a few minutes ago and it was time for the dance. The pair had just been announced again to the crowd, and were smiling at the guests as the music began to play and conversation resumed.

Anna looked out at the patrons, scanning not only with her eyes, but with her mind, seeing into the depths of each person, memorising them and their intents with practiced ease. There was nothing notable about any of these people, she concluded. Simple worries and simple plans; simple understandings of the world. Some were nice, some were scheming, others were naive and the rest were boring. She did hear some thoughts about the clothing of the girls, Anna in a dark dress of purple and black, Elsa in a dress of dark blue and white. Some comments approving of their choices, about how bold they were: others condescending about how they should have conformed more to the social norms. It didn't take long for those thoughts to pass, and the culprits to return to their own conversations.

Elsa glanced at her sister, recognising the signs of her power in the slight dimming of the light around the room. Only Elsa noticed though, no one else knew what to look for when Anna used her power. "Anyone to worry about, Anna?" she said under her breath.

Anna returned her mind to her own body, taking a deep breath before replying. "No one even vaguely interesting Els. A few good-looking guys out there though."

Elsa just smiled. Personally she didn't even want to bother with this ball. She wanted to be sitting in her room with a good book and some chocolate, or maybe talking with Anna round the fireplace. But she had to put up appearances for tonight. Especially tonight. Not to mention avoiding any issues with her powers. The girls always got a little edgy if they hadn't used them for a while, so to prepare for the night the pair had travelled out into the woods in the safe embrace of night and simply let loose with everything they had. It had been very fun, and very dangerous. The blue and white glow from Elsa's ice had been masked by her sister's black and purple magic, to stop anyone from the castle or town seeing them.

So now here they were, in front of dignitaries, ambassadors, princes and princesses, lords and ladies and many other titles from all across Arendelle and it's neighbours. Here they were, being the good girls they were always meant to be. Elsa noticed a young man approaching the throne, the first of what would be many to ask her for a dance that night. She put on a smile and braced herself for the night to come.

*** A Few Hours Later ***

Elsa was standing at the foot of the stairs approaching the throne, discussing the current state of the roads between Arendelle and Tharlin, a small city to the west, when she was approached by an apparently very drunk and very short nobleman.

"Ah, Your Highnesss," he said as he stumbled over, "I see you're talking with Lord Felendar. Though personally I don't believe he deserves the title Lord. His estates are so small you couldn't even feed a single cattle on them! Ha!"

Elsa stood wide eyed, stunned by the short man's lack of self-control. Why he was still awake after consuming what must have been utterly excessive amount of wine was a mystery to her. But now he was bothering her guests, and most annoyingly, was bothering her.

Anna came up behind Elsa, a curious expression on her face. She was about to ask what was the matter when the drunk man blurted out, "Oh and you! You're the princess aren't you? You look like you're dressed for a funeral, not a coronation. What's with the dark dress, huh? And how come your hair is black, not like your sisters at all! I think someone's father got a little rowdy in his younger days!"

Anna felt her power rise, but she reigned it in. She was about to call the man all sorts of names highly inappropriate names, and perhaps make him go just a bit insane but stopped when she felt Elsa's hand on her arm.

Elsa simply looked at the man calmly, then spoke in a quiet, steely voice, "Sir, I would recommend you apologise to me and my sister, as well as Lord Felendar here. I am only warning you once, and only because you are not yourself in this state. I am giving you the opportunity to take back your actions before I am forced to take you into custody for treason."

The calm in Elsa's voice impressed Anna. She was doing very well to maintain it, even though she could feel the cold spreading up her arm where Elsa was holding her. Unfortunately for the man, he did not heed Elsa's warning. In fact, he made the worst mistake he would ever make.

He kept talking, and it was definitely not an apology that spilled from his lips. Oh no, it was much worse.

First he laughed at Elsa. Then he said in what he was sure was a humorous tone, "Ah you've got fire in you! Just like your mother. She was always a bit bitchy too. Did you ever hear that rumour about her being a sorceress? Apparently she had the king under some spell, and was the real ruler of the , imagine that!"

Everyone in the room had gone silent now. The temperature was beginning to drop, and everything seemed a little dimmer. The candles sat low on their wicks, and the torches and lanterns slowed in their flickering. The man didn't notice in his intoxicated state, but everyone else did.

Anna was one more insult away from turning this mans life into a waking nightmare, _no one_ insulted her parents, but she held herself back as best she could. Even with the restraint that her and her sister practiced for years, power was creeping out. Elsa on the other hand, opened her mouth to ask the guards to take him away, when he said one more thing.

"I bet you two are just as messed up as she was! You know, I heard a story 'bout some of the very liberal things she did with her sisters in her younger days, but I bet you know all about that! Something that interesting just has to run in the family. Like she did hey? Bahaha-"

The man would have had a very long winded laugh at this, had not the entire room grown ice cold, and dark as a moonless night. The people noticed immediately, seeing frost spread across the walls and the torches guttering in their placements. But what was the most frightening, was the glow coming from the princess. Anna stood, fists clenched and teeth bared, surrounded by what looked like writhing black smoke that was rising from her dress with her eyes glowing a deep purple.

Elsa noticed the way everyone's faces became filled with utter terror, and turned to Anna. Seeing the state she was in, she knew there was no stopping what was going to happen next. So, she simply took a deep breath, mentally preparing for what had to happen next.

Anna raised a hand toward the drunken fool, and power gathered around his eyes. He screamed so loudly and with so much utter terror that his voice tore with strength of his cry. He clawed at his face desperately, then raised his hands as if to protect himself. He cowered back from some unseen vision, and with a choking cry and a grasp of a hand at his chest, fell limp upon the floor.

The light returned as the power around Anna faded and her appearance returned to normal. Elsa was watching the crowd carefully, waiting for the panic she knew was about to set in at any moment. She tightened her grip on Anna; they only had a few more seconds before the crowd realised the man was dead; not simply unconscious. Anna wouldn't be able to make all the people here fall asleep at once, so their only real option was to not get caught and to run as far as possible.

Anna felt her sister's hand tighten and realised what she had just done, and more importantly what she had done in front of a room full of people. She swallowed, glancing at Elsa who turned to her as realisation swept through the crowd.

Elsa simply said, "Run."

And so they ran; out through the front gates, past the commoners celebrating in the streets, past the guards at the edge of the village and out into the mountainside, as far away from the mob that they knew was going to hunt them down.

And hunt them down it would.

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_So that's chapter one. As you can see, there is a lot of potential for some very dark situations, and don't worry, the story will be vastly different to that of the movie. I hope you enjoyed, and leave me a review if you liked, or noticed anything I can improve._

Until next time.


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